Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

However, the loss of health points is real.

[Main Si: 600LP → 300LP]

"Damn bastard!" Because of his recent loss of composure due to the [Disruption - Yellow], Manjoume Masashi blamed everything on Hayato opposite him. "Next turn, next turn I'll have [Necromancer Count] destroy that little fry of yours. Savor Manjoume's wrath!"

"Unfortunately, you don't have a next turn." Hayato didn't declare the end of his turn after the attack. "According to the rules of the game, there is a Main Phase 2 after the Battle Phase. Although most people don't use it, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In my Main Phase 2, I'm going to activate this spell card."

Hayato revealed a magic card and placed it on the field.

"There's even a magic card!" Masashi exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared intently at the magic card on the field, trying to see its effect.

"This card is called [Goblin Thief]. As the name suggests, it's a goblin whose profession is thief." A chubby goblin sneakily popped out of the card, then, assuming everyone was blind and unseen, tiptoed to the dueling ring of the card and bent down to search for something on the ground.

"How did they get onto my territory again?!" Masashi was practically going crazy. First, there was the [Necromancer Count], resembling a rotting corpse; then the disgusting Disruptive Monster, especially [Disruptive Yellow], which almost sat on him. And now, a greasy goblin?!

"The thief goblin isn't stealing anything else, it's stealing your life points. Based on its effect, I can absorb 500 life points from you." With Hayato's words, the thief goblin plucked a ball of light from Shoji's dueling platform, and immediately ran back, placing the ball of light in front of Hayato's dueling platform.

[Major: 300LP→0]

[Hayato: 1400LP → 1900LP]

"Congratulations, Masashi! Your house got robbed, and you're bankrupt."

Masashi was enraged by Hayato's words: "You shameless bastard, using such a despicable blood-draining card, how unmanly!"

"Hey, hold on a minute. According to you, wouldn't Volcano be the most sinister deck in the world? Besides," Hayato wouldn't accept the "despicable" title Masashi gave him, "You think using a life-draining card is despicable, but what does that have to do with my life-steal card?"

Chapter 23 If you like someone so much, why not just confess? Their Love Battle

After tidying up the cards on the dueling platform and putting away his deck, Hayato walked down the steps of the platform and arrived in front of Yugi and the others who had been waiting for a long time.

"Congratulations, Hayato-kun!" Yugi, Kyoko, and Honda congratulated Hayato on his victorious return, and Hayato returned a hearty smile, "You won! What an interesting duel!"

"Congratulations, Hayato," Jonouchi congratulated him, but his expression was somewhat strange. "But the final victory wasn't achieved with a monster but with a magic card or something. That feels really odd. Isn't this Duel Monsters?"

“That’s not how it works, Jonouchi-kun. Magic cards are an important part of Duel Monsters, because monsters symbolize power, while magic symbolizes wisdom.” Yugi explained his understanding of Duel Monsters to Jonouchi. “While the contest of power is important, magic is also one of the keys to victory. Only those who possess both power and wisdom can go further and achieve final victory.”

"To put it another way, 'Spell Cards are part of Duel Monsters; if you don't like it, don't play.'" Hayato summarized the game's meaning in his own words, thinking to himself, "When I used [Goblin Thief] to finish them off, everyone else was so innocent while I was so cunning, and I even felt a little embarrassed. But Yugi, you seem to think it's perfectly normal. You're truly the king of 'trickery'."

His ability to so calmly accept "unconventional" ways of winning explains why deck building in later games became so bizarre. Perhaps every duelist from the game's era has his iconic "T" spread etched into their DNA?

Thinking that he must get a straight flush in future duels, Hayato noticed the other side of the dueling platform, where Manjoume Masashi, who had lost the duel, walked down dejectedly.

Seeing the other person walk up to him dejectedly, Hayato tilted his head and asked, "Is there anything else, Manjoume-kun?"

"I won't give up on pursuing 'Little Ribbon' like this." He rallied slightly and made a bold statement, but quickly slumped back down. Manjoume Masaji sighed, "I carry the honor of Manjoume. Although I really want to say that, I'll honor my bet and give up on pursuing Nosaka Miho."

Looking up at Hayato, Masashi saw that he was academically excellent, handsome, from a good family, and even incredibly skilled at fighting monsters. Although unwilling, Masashi accepted his defeat.

Hayato saw the resentment in his eyes, hesitated slightly, and then spoke up: "Well, I wanted to clarify something first—did you misunderstand something from the beginning? I have no intention of pursuing 'Little Ribbon'."

"After winning the duel, you still want to humiliate me without any honor, Kobayashi Hayato!" Manjoume was very agitated. "How dare you say you didn't have feelings for Nosaka Miho? You even deliberately touched her hand under the pretext of 'returning the camera'!"

No, just because you've touched her doesn't mean you have to pursue her? Manjoume Seiji's strange logic amused Hayato: "Do you think I wanted to return the camera? Let me tell you honestly, although I think she's quite pretty, I don't have any feelings for her or any desire to date her."

"How could anyone not want to date Nosaka-san!"

Hayato turned his head in confusion. He thought he'd heard that sentence in stereo? It was as if two voices were speaking simultaneously.

In reality, there were actually two people speaking. Besides Manjoume Masashi, the other person speaking was none other than Honda Hiro, who was standing behind Hayato.

"Nosaka-san is so pretty, has a great personality, and dresses well, how could anyone not like her!" Honda's current behavior is just like that of a fan of her favorite idol who has been told that her breasts are padded; she is extremely agitated.

"You bastard, could it be!?" Manjoume stared at Honda in astonishment.

Hayato shrugged helplessly: "You guessed it, it wasn't me who liked 'Little Ribbon,' it was this guy. He borrowed the camera from 'Little Ribbon,' but he didn't have the courage to return it, so I helped him return it."

However, Masaji Manjoume's attention was no longer on Hayato; instead, he looked at Honda with disdain.

"After all this time, it turns out my rival isn't Hayato Kobayashi, but someone like you?" Manjoume covered his forehead, looking exasperated. "Ugh, this is so embarrassing! If I'd known it was someone like you, I wouldn't have been so nervous from the start!"

“That’s right, Hayato doesn’t even want to pursue Nosaka-san, you’ve been doing this since the beginning…” Honda started to speak instinctively, but then realized what he was saying, “Hey, you bastard! Are you saying I’m not threatening you?!”

"Isn't that obvious!" Manjoume Seiji regained the confident demeanor he had before the duel. "Whether it's academic performance, reputation at school, or appearance, I undoubtedly surpass you, don't I?"

Kyoko watched as her two "love rivals" started playing a staring contest, and sighed, rubbing her forehead. She turned to Yugi and Jonouchi and asked curiously, "These two are really... Oh, by the way, Yugi, Jonouchi, do you guys like Nosaka-san too?"

"Well, I really like 'Little Ribbon,' she seems quite popular at school. But as for girlfriends, she's not really in my league." Jonouchi scratched the back of his head. "I prefer more mature women, preferably beauties with long blonde hair and great figures. If she likes Duel Monsters, that would be even better."

A beautiful duelist with long blonde hair and a great figure... I suspect you're alluding to Mai Kujaku. Hayato, listening to Jonouchi's description, couldn't help but think of the classic couple, Jonouchi and Mai Kujaku.

"Personally, I don't think body shape is that important. When it comes to dating, it's more important to have compatible personalities." Yugi also shared his understanding of love. "As for Nosaka-san, I share the same opinion as Jonouchi. I admire her, but I don't have any intention of pursuing her."

"Then I need to say no more. Besides, we're still students, right? I don't want to date until I have enough income to support both of us," Hayato said, adding a quote from someone decades later: "I'm going to become the strongest duelist. Women are just a hindrance."

While the four were chatting, Manjoume Masashi and Honda were still arguing:

"My family is rich!"

"Everyone has some money!"

"I'm super good at dueling monsters!"

"He still lost to Hayato!"

"I'm more handsome than you!"

"fart!"

Hayato was getting annoyed by the two's kindergarten-level bickering and couldn't help but say, "You two both like 'little ribbons,' so why don't you just go and confess to them? What's the point of arguing like this?"

The moment Hayato uttered those words, the two who had been chattering incessantly stopped immediately.

Chapter 24: Around every couple, there are always a few singles offering relationship advice.

Because of Hayato's unintentional remark, Honda and Manjoume began a "strategic preparation competition" with the goal of "conquering the 'little ribbon'" as the standard for victory.

"You guys have to help me, Jonouchi, Hayato, Yugi!" Honda said with a worried expression. "That Manjoume guy, because his family is on the school's board of directors, is planning to confess to Miho at the next school festival!"

"Confessing in public? The school festival is a place where you can let loose, but the teachers will be there too, right?" Yugi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't Manjoume afraid of getting caught?"

"So, his family is on the school board."

“Right, then he doesn’t have to be afraid of being punished at all.” Jonouchi slammed his fist together. “That guy is so cunning.”

"So please help me think of a way, otherwise he will definitely steal the 'little ribbon'!" Honda said, looking frustrated.

Anzu, standing to the side, imagined what might happen at the cultural festival—on the stage of the cultural festival performance that everyone was watching, XX, dressed in a white suit, was not afraid of worldly opinions at all, and presented 9999 roses to her in the audience with deep affection, confessing his love to everyone.

"If he really confessed at the school festival, put myself in his shoes, I probably would have said yes too," Kyoko said, expressing her opinion. However, she didn't reveal who the person she secretly wanted to confess to was. Was she unsure of what he looked like? Or was she just too shy to say it?

"Right? Using your family's advantages to your advantage, how despicable." Honda recalled the smug look on Manjoume's face when he announced his confession plan. And supposedly, he got the inspiration from his duel with Hayato. "As long as you can reap the final victory, no method is despicable," that guy said.

"I just can't do anything with you, Honda Daino." Completely unaware that he was the one who came up with this idea for Manjoume, Hayato pulled a paper toy gun from his bag. "Clang, clang, clang!"

"M1917 American-made Smith & Wesson!"

"Huh?" Honda looked at the paper pistol that Hayato had shoved into his hand.

"With this, no one can refuse your confession. Go, Honda, for your happiness!"

"What kind of happiness is it to be threatened with a gun!" Honda retorted irritably. "Besides, this thing is made of paper, isn't it!"

"Ah, we've been discovered."

"You never tried to hide it, did you? No normal person could possibly fall for it!"

"Okay, okay, just kidding." Hayato took back the paper gun from Honda's hand; after all, it was the result of his afternoon's work. "Since you don't really like this idea, I have another one. Want to hear it?"

"Let's be a little more serious..." Honda glanced at the game and Jonouchi, considered it for a moment, and felt that only Hayato could give him dating advice. He just hoped that Hayato would be more reliable than that "paper gun" thing from before.

"To get someone to accept your confession, ultimately it's about you and them resonating with each other's hearts so you can be together." Hayato, though never in a relationship, is known for being good at giving relationship advice the more single he is. "In other words, just find a way to let the other person feel your feelings."

"You make it sound so easy. Do you expect me to rip my heart out?"

Kyoko sighed, "Honda, you're really dense. Didn't you understand what Hayato meant? He meant that you should just give her a gift that represents your feelings, like a can of 1000 origami cranes or a small doll you made for her."

Honda shrugged helplessly: "Do I look like someone who's good at handicrafts?"

"Honda is good at causing destruction, but asking him to do those kinds of small crafts is a bit too much, isn't it?" Jonouchi chimed in.

"Um, how about we find someone skilled in crafts to make it for us?" Yugi came up with a suggestion, which made Honda involuntarily shift his attention to Hayato, who was amusing himself with a paper gun after giving his suggestion.

Noticing Honda's gaze, Hayato immediately stood up straight and put away his pistol: "Don't look at me. Although I can fold origami cranes and little stars, 1000 is too many. Besides, how can I convey my feelings if I don't make them myself? I might as well just buy one."

“Ah, speaking of which, I think I know what would be appropriate to give.” Game clapped his hands and thought of a good idea. “Yesterday I saw on TV that the female protagonist confessed her love to the male protagonist and gave him a pure white jigsaw puzzle with her feelings written on it.”

"That's a great idea. But it seems like pure white puzzle pieces are hard to find, right? And if there are too many, what if we can't complete the 'little ribbon' puzzle?" Jonouchi thought for a moment and thought the game idea was brilliant.

"Chicken Sauce recently received a batch of white puzzle pieces, but the quantity is not very large."

"Hmm... I have reason to suspect you're trying to attract customers for your home, you gaming boy."

————I dozed off and dreamt of the five old men at the start————

Because of the game's suggestive suggestion that seemed designed to lure customers, after Jōnei finished his daily cleaning duties, the group went to the game's house after school.

"Chicken Sauce, I'm back~"

Hearing the game's energetic voice, Grandpa Sugoroku, who was standing behind the counter as usual, replied, "Oh, you're back, Game."

“We’ve come to bother you too.” Following behind the game, Honda also came in, followed by Kyoko, Jonouchi, and Hayato.

"Not at all, our house is quite big, you're welcome to come and visit," Grandpa Shuangliu greeted them warmly.

After explaining his purpose, Honda followed Sugoroku to the warehouse to retrieve the "Love Killer! Pure White Puzzle for Confessions" that had just arrived at the store but hadn't yet been put on the shelves. One has to say, given this highly targeted product name, the price of the white puzzle could easily double; Sugoroku does have some business acumen, doesn't he?

While waiting, the bored group started playing Duel Monsters again, this time with Jonouchi and Yugi as the players. This was Jonouchi's Nth "comeback duel" against Yugi. Although both had just drawn their cards, Hayato already had only one answer in mind for the final outcome.

Not particularly interested in watching the clash between the weak 800 attack points of the [Shadow Warrior of Purple Flame] and the 1500 attack points of the [Dark Dragon King], Hayato opened the system, where several lines of large text immediately caught his eye:

Congratulations on your victory in the duel! And congratulations on finally winning a match!

The score for this duel is:

3200dp——

A comeback victory (winning with fewer health points than the opponent at the start of the round): 2500

Use a magic card 3 times: 100 dp

Unable to resist (an attack declaration deals more than 1000 damage): 300 dp

Reaper (uses effect damage to finish off): 300 dp